Category Archives: Tax Law

Guidance is an important part of the tax system – indeed, I would suggest that HMRC guidance is both legally appropriate and normatively desirable. At the VPG Annual Lecture this year in September[1] I advanced the claim that HMRC guidance … Continue reading →

It is the start of the academic year and those taking tax law, whether at undergraduate or graduate level, will probably now be introduced to Adam Smith’s canons of taxation. The idea is that a good tax system will comply … Continue reading →

At the International Fiscal Association’s annual congress, Advocate General Kokott weighed in on the European Commission’s State aid cases concerning tax rulings. AG Kokott’s comments suggest that tax authorities, in effect, ought to have a degree of authority about how … Continue reading →

The issues surrounding the Mansworth v Jelley losses plow on. In the case of HMRC v Hely-Hutchinson, the taxpayer claims that he is entitled to the benefit of HMRC guidance which provided that losses could be claimed as a result … Continue reading →

This blog has sometimes noted the contribution that legal philosophy can make to understanding matters of tax law and policy: for instance, using Hart’s “Core and Penumbra” analogy to understand how the limits of language can result in tax avoidance, … Continue reading →

The Supreme Court on Wednesday 16 May gave judgment in the case of R (Gallaher) v Competition and Markets Authority. This case concerned an agreement to settle a dispute and the Court of Appeal judgment was given some attention in … Continue reading →

In its 1955 Report, the Royal Commission on the Taxation of Profits and Income wrote that “Avoidance of tax is a problem that faces every tax system…but until some certainty is reached upon the question of definition, the question as … Continue reading →

Consider the following example. A taxpayer has an assessment issued against her by HMRC. Her argument is that the tax is not due under the relevant taxing provision, or in the alternative that she is entitled to rely upon Extra-Statutory … Continue reading →

The Court of Appeal has just handed down judgment in the case of City Shoes v HMRC, in which the taxpayers claimed to have a legitimate expectation as to certain treatment from HMRC. That treatment related to the ‘Liechtenstein Disclosure … Continue reading →

A recurring issue that this blog has sought to explore is the problem of public authorities making mistakes. This blog for instance has spent some time considering the case of Hely-Hutchinson, wherein the Court of Appeal placed reliance upon the … Continue reading →